Printing machines normally include a printing couple which comprises a number of cylinders and/or rollers such as impression cylinders, master cylinders, blanket cylinders, ductor rollers, transfer rollers, oscillating rollers, form rollers, and the like. For instance, a printing head may be provided generally at the top of the machine, often at the rear of the machine, and which includes an ink fountain for feeding ink to the various rollers of the printing couple which transfers images to copy sheets. A number of rollers which generally can be termed "distribution" rollers are provided between the ink fountain and the printing couple for distributing ink to the printing couple. The distribution rollers conventionally are mounted between spaced side frame plates of the machine framework.
One of the problems with printing machines of the character described above is the continuing time consuming, inefficient and "messy" processes or systems for feeding or adding printing ink to the ink fountain.
This is particularly problematic with offset or "four color" printing processes wherein different colors of ink must be changed for any single printing run.
Printing ink is manufactured and supplied in typical cans very similar to ordinary cans of paint, but with a different type of lid. The ink cans are cylindrical, with a closed bottom end and fairly conventional dimensions. It is not uncommon for ink to be fed to the ink fountain of a printing machine simply by manually pouring the ink from the can. Printing ink is very thick or viscous, and such manual processes are time consuming, inaccurate and often a messy or sloppy job. Rarely are the full contents of an ink can poured into the ink fountain. Mechanized ink feeding apparatus have been used, but such apparatus most often are for large printing machines and are very elaborate and expensive.
The present invention is directed to solving these problems and providing a very simple, inexpensive and efficient apparatus, system or method of feeding or supplying ink to a printing couple of a printing machines